I have a 2004 Mini Cooper with 38000 miles on it.Recently had a tyre rotation and balance, and it is now pulling to the right. Firestone worked on it, without charge, and tell me that they have done everything they can, including a front end sllignment. I have not hit any pot holes, or curbs thati can remember…any ideas?
If it’s not front end alignment then it could be rear wheel alignment, tire pressure, dragging brake, bad tire or crowned road. Since you spell tire as tyre, possibly you are not located in the Colonies and road crown caused drift to the right is not likely. You need a mechanic that is worthy of the title. There are other, less likely possibilities that I have not yet encountered.
If you have a severe wear pattern on a tire and move it to the front it can affect the way the car steers. This isn’t complicated stuff, so this can be resolved. If the tires are OK, the tire pressures are OK in both tires (check this yourself by the way) and the car has been aligned properly there shouldn’t be a problem. Did they do a 4-wheel alignment or just a front wheel alignment? If they did a 4 wheel look at the before and after specs on the computer printout and see if the rear was out of whack. If the rear alignment was way out then it would wear the tire in a strange pattern and you’d notice that when it gets put on the front. See what I mean?
I hope you don’t actually have Firestone tires on the car-it certainly deserves better. Some may diagree, but I find their quality to be abysmal.
I forgot how our spelling identified us as Brits!. I now live in the good ol USA sunny Arkansas. Thanks for your reply…the tyres are almost brand new, and have a life time rotation and balance. This is why i am scraching my head to work out this pulling problem. Could it be a shock absorber?
The way to tell if this is caused by the tires or the alignment is to swap the front tires side to side.
If the pull changes direction, it’s the tires.
If the pull doesn’t change direction, it’s the alignment.
If the pull disappears, it’s both.
My guess is that this is strictly a tire issue. The problem here is that it is possible to wear a pattern into a tire that will cause a pull. Even though you’ve said your tires are almost brand new, the operative word is “almost” - you’ve had enough mileage to require a rotation. I’m guessing that you bought the tires at Firestone and they did what they could to correct the problem, short of changing out the odd tire - which is now out of warranty.
So go back to where you bought the tires and see what they are willing to do. The worst that could happen is that you would have to leave the tires on the rear.
I had the same issue with a 93 Caprice, at the time the tires had about 4k. After a front to back tire rotation and 2 front end alignments, the car stilled pulled hard to the right. I switched the front tires side to side and the pull went away. I expected a pull to the left after the rotation, but the car is still tracking straight 5 1/2 years later. It’s worth a try.
Ed B.